ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [2]

XXXII • AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL

thirty-two. after school special

Mystic Falls High School

A grieving memorial service for Mayor Lockwood, who was actually drowned in a fountain in the middle of the Town Square by an Original on the night of the Winter Wonderland charity event, is underway in the gymnasium at that early morning. The young students of all levels and even all the teachers, who are sitting in the bleachers, are lighting candles in glass cups as part of the service. Sheriff Forbes is speaking at a podium in front of the stand.

"Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness in times of tragedy leads to healing, that one community is stronger than a thousand of its members. But how does a community stay strong after losing its leader? And Carol was so much more than a leader; she was an open-minded friend, a loyal sister and a concerned mother, taken from us too soon by a terrible accident."

An accident that she was too drunk and drowned in the fountain was clearly a cover story of the actual ugly reality that someone drowned her in there. Amelia McKittrick, being the Mayor's sister-in-law who's sitting in the front row of the bleachers with the rest of the adults, is crying silent tears next to her grieving husband, Liam, and her close friend, Missus Cassandra Devon. Mayor Lockwood didn't deserve how she ended up, though it was only an 'accident' how she was too drunk to function that previous night ago. Now that both of his parents are gone, Tyler Lockwood is now under the custody of his maternal Uncle Liam and Aunt Amelia McKittrick, along with his present grandmother Valerie, who's now sitting next to her only son, Liam.

Tyler is among the students, silent but looking on edge, "Screw this."

The concerned, grieving Caroline looks at him, "What? Tyler? Tyler?"

The angry Lockwood stands up and walks out of the gym; the Sheriff sees him go in pure sympathy with tears in her own turquoise eyes and only nods him off, "Please join me in observing a minute silence in her memory."

Everyone puts their heads down for the minute of silence. Elena looks over to the other side of the gym and sees Rebekah, well and undaggered. She closes her eyes and looks over again, but finds that she isn't there anymore.

Minerva, who's sitting right next to her, lowly mentioned, "Are you okay?"

"Be right back." Elena stands up and walks out of the gym all by herself.

"Thank you so much. In the wake of this tragedy, the town has selected an interim mayor. Many of you may already know him. Please welcome Mister Rudy Hopkins." The Sheriff announced the young African-American man, who seems to be in his late thirties, who's the former husband of Abby Bennett Wilson and therefore, the father of Bonnie Bennett and her twin.